


Greenery

by ivarara



Series: Hawk n Hum [1]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: i ddo what i want and what i want to do is ensure that these two are happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-05-01 16:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19181617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivarara/pseuds/ivarara
Summary: Hawk and Hum take a rest in Greenpath. Hum has an idea.





	Greenery

Hum loved Greenpath.  


She loved the crunch of foliage underfoot. She loved charging through overgrown patches of grass to watch the blades sway in her wake. She loved the colorful little flowers that grew wherever they could get a foothold.

The birds flapping away.

The way her cloak would accumulate seeds and pollen and dust as they proceeded.

The... _green-ness_ of it all! Full of life that swarmed and grew and flew and it was _bright_ because of the beams of light that pierced the canopy overhead.

But what did she love most of all, here?

She loved how Hawk seemed to, finally, relax. Tension bled out of his form. He allowed his posture to hunch more. He wasn’t ram-rod stiff. His eyes were no longer hard and analyzing. Not suspicious of every little thing. Wary still, yes, but not overly.

Content.

Something the two of them didn’t get to feel often, in an environment that seemed to have it out for them.

They tread easily down the lush path and come across a bench.

“Let’s rest for a bit. We can keep looking for Hornet in a while.” Hawk’s weary voice left no room to argue.

_(Not that she would argue with Hawk! She would never!)_

“Can I look around?” Hum queries after a few minutes of fidgeting beside her sibling.

“I don’t know,” he crows. “ _Can_ you?” Had he a mouth, he’d be smirking.

Hum huffs in fake irritation. “ _May_ I look around?”

“I don’t mind, but for the love of all things holy, actually stay near this time.”

She nods quickly, already pondering which direction to head in. As she goes to turn, Hawk snags her scarf.

“I mean it,” he scolds, looking straight at her.

“I know!” she exclaims. “I heard you!”

He stares at her in faux-suspicion for a moment longer before letting her loose. “Pay attention to where you are. I’ll be here.”

And off she went.

Instinct leads her down a path not that far from the bench. At the end, a bubbling green pool festered wildly. Clumps of wildflowers and other plants swarmed the shore.

An idea strikes her. Would it annoy Hawk? Absolutely. But what didn’t?

She begins plucking the taller blooms, gently bunching them in her fist. Quick enough, she deemed that she’d gathered a sufficient supply. Carefully, she began the short stroll back to the bench.

Hawk had nodded off, unsurprisingly. Being so constantly diligent and watchful had to be taxing on a soul. His head was resting against his fist, arm propped up on a knee. Like this, the fracture in his mask is emphasized.

Well, _that_ wouldn’t do. She knew Hawk preferred to cover the fault, or at least draw attention away from it.

So, she decides to herself, that’s what she’ll do.

Delicately, she plunks down on the moss in front of the bench and places her harvest next to her. With a flick of her wrist, her cloak and scarf are moved out of her way as she selects two of the flowers. Slim and nimble fingers, black as ink, twiddle and loop the stems together to create a knot. After focusing on her task for a short span, she had accumulated a short chain of flowers.

So...how did she finish it; how did she bring it together into what she wanted? She racked her mind to remember. Tentatively, she works at combining the first and last flowers of the chain to create a circle. A few failed attempts later, she had done it. She holds her finished creation up in front of her to inspect.

Perfect! _(Or, at least, acceptable for what she needed it for.)_

She silently gets back to her feet, glancing over at Hawk: still dozed off. Silence was key, here; she knew that. Hawk slept lightly and dozed even lighter. Clambering back up onto the bench, she carefully, discreetly, hung her handiwork over one of her sibling’s jagged horns. Guiding it down to rest on his forehead, she positions it just so. After some finagling, it came to rest right where she wanted it. The majority of it covered the zig-zagging crack in his skull.

Overly pleased at her work, Hum sits back on her knees and basks in the feeling of accomplishing her task. Hawk hadn’t noticed, still nodded off. Content, she sits and draws her knees up against her underneath her cloak. Slowly, she leans her weight against Hawk’s side, nodding off herself.

\-------

Hawk wakes to the familiar feeling of Hum’s weight pressed into his side. He had come to enjoy it, even. It meant that she was happy and safe enough to fall asleep.

Something else caught his attention. A persistent, feather-light tickle between his horns, usually only present when Hum was on his shoulders and her little fingers were holding on to his head. But she was asleep beside him. 

_What was it?_ Probably some cobwebs or leaves, he tells himself. He reaches a hand up to dust them off. His fingers brush something else instead. Confused, he carefully extricates the object.

When he sees what it is, he’s compelled to do multiple things simultaneously.

Hug Hum, or at least wrap an arm around her shoulders. Live up to his reputation of being stern and flick her gift off to the side. Take it off and put it on her head instead.

But...it was a _gift_. Obviously one she worked on herself, too. 

He elects to leave it where it sits. The tickling feeling isn’t as bothersome now that he knows what’s causing it. 

Hum is still napping at his side. He notices the spare flowers she had picked down at their feet.

An idea strikes him. He carefully leans forward, grabbing a few of the leftover blooms. Deftly, with hands more accustomed to fighting than whatever this was considered, he crafts little rings out of the stems. With even more care, he sits back up. The newly-crafted rings are placed on Hum’s horns, one for each.

He admires his impromptu work. They still have to head out and find Hornet at some point. There was no rush.

Perhaps Hornet would even envy their new looks as well.


End file.
